


Something More

by Lonely_waterlily



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Awkward Flirting, CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives is a Little Shit, CT-7567 | Rex is Trying His Best, Echo and Fives are buddies, Eventual Smut, F/M, Feedback is always appreciated, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Light-Hearted, Mutual Pining, Not Beta Read, Obi-Wan knows everything, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Anakin Skywalker, Rex and Anakin are buddies, Sad CT-7567 | Rex, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:15:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29563161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lonely_waterlily/pseuds/Lonely_waterlily
Summary: Rex has never been interested in the females his brothers try to set him up with. He only has eyes for Ahsoka Tano. Unfortunately such feelings are forbidden, not to mention painfully one-sided... or so he thinks. Will Rex, with a little help from Fives and Echo, finally confess his love?
Relationships: CT-7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano, CT-7567 | Rex/Ahsoka Tano
Comments: 29
Kudos: 79





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: 
> 
> None of the characters are my own (obviously) and Ahsoka is aged up to 20 while Rex is 25. 
> 
> Enjoy!

All the men of the 501st had celebrated their latest win with a couple of rounds at 79’s—or in Hardcase’s case, eight. All except Rex, who’d opted to stay behind, sorting and filing paperwork.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t _wanted_ to tag along, but rather he’d been hoping to avoid another of Fives and Echo’s efforts to set him up with some random Twi’lek dancer. Sure, Rex had found plenty of them physically attractive, but he wasn’t interested in hooking up with a total stranger.

No, he was already in love with a certain Jedi, even if it was one-sided and completely hopeless. Still, he couldn’t stop himself from imagining how it would feel to run his hands over her rich, sienna-colored skin, to pull her body flush against his, to press his lips against—

Rex’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the barrack doors sliding open to reveal a very drunk Hardcase—smiling at him—while swaying back and forth precariously.

“Hiya Rexy!” Hardcase slurred out, stumbling over to dramatically sprawl himself on Rex’s lap.

Rex looked down, his usual frown being replaced by a slight upwards quirk at the corners of his mouth due to the hyperactive trooper’s antics. “Hey Hardcase. Looks like you had a little too much to drink there.”

Hardcase just hummed in contentment, apparently not in any hurry to get up. Rex heard laughter and turned his head towards the door to see Echo and Fives standing outside, both of whom were clearly enjoying watching their normally stoic captain try to wake up a drunk, snoring Hardcase.

“Would you just get him off me? He’s a lot heavier than he looks,” Rex said, glaring at the pair of ARC troopers.

”Come on, Captain,” Echo said with a grin, “You don’t look like you need our help. Fives, do you think he needs help?”

Fives looked at Rex, screwing up his face like he was thinking hard before shaking his head and turning to face Echo, mirroring his grin. “Nope I think the Captain has this situation completely under control, right _Rexy_?” 

“Keep this up and I’ll make you sorry,” Rex growled out, though his words lacked any real bite to them.

Fives leaned over to whisper something into Echo’s ear, making the other glance at Rex before nodding and letting out a gleeful laugh at the look of confusion and apprehension written on the captain’s features.

Fives opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the sound of Tup and Kix dragging a forlorn Jesse between them. “We had to drag this one from the bar,” Kix said pointing to Jesse who was currently pouting at the ground.

“We were making out, and I swear she was about to ask me back to her place,” Jesse bemoaned.

“Before...” Tup chimed in, lightly elbowing Jesse’s side.

Jesse sighed, “before her husband came in and pulled her off my lap.”

Rex let out a loud laugh and the others joined in—minus Hardcase who had slid off Rex’s lap and chosen to wrap his body around Rex’s leg, effectively anchoring him in place. “Okay will one of you help him off me and get him to bed? This is getting ridiculous” Rex said, gesturing to his leg. Tup started to walk towards Rex before Fives put his arm out to stop him.

Tup looked at Fives—confusion written on his face—but Fives just smiled back, his eyes alight with mischief. “Sure Captain, but first you gotta do something,” Fives said, walking closer. Rex raised an eyebrow, his mouth reverting back to its usual frown, but remained silent. “We want you to give us your word that you will to do one thing we ask you to, no matter what it is.” 

Rex paused to think for a moment. How bad could it really be? They’d probably ask him to let them off KP for a month or something else along those lines. Rex nodded. “Fine, I’ll do ONE and only one thing you ask of me, no matter what.”

At that, Fives and Echo let out a cheer. Together, the two of them extricated Rex’s leg from Hardcase and carried the latter to his bunk.

Kix merely rolled his eyes at their antics before grabbing Tup’s arm, saying something about trying to grab a late night snack from the kitchens. Jesse had already departed to the ‘fresher, choosing to wallow in his disappointment about missing his chance with the very beautiful—but unfortunately, married—female Twi’lek from the bar.

This left Fives, Echo, and Rex alone with a completely passed out Hardcase. Rex looked at the two with suspicion, crossing is arms and leaning back in his chair.

“Alright, out with it then. What is it you want from me?” Rex asked, gesturing for them to speak. Fives and Echo shared a look.

“Well Captain, we noticed how you never say yes to any of the girls we try to set you up with...” Echo started.

Rex held his hand up to stop him. “I think I know where you two are going with this, and my answer is still no,” he said getting up and turning to leave.

“Wait, we aren’t going to try to set you up with random girls from the bar anymore,” Fives blurted out, making Rex freeze before slowly turning back around to look at him and make sure he was being serious. But their faces were earnest, without even a hint of humor on them.

“Alright, well what is it you actually want?” Rex asked hesitantly.

“We want to set you up with Commander Tano.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I hope you liked this chapter! I will be updating this as frequently as I can. 
> 
> Next chapter will probably be mostly Rex, Fives and Echo with possibly some Ahsoka, I’m not sure yet. But please trust me, I promise there will be many Rexsoka moments coming up ;) 
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated, but please be nice. I’m not a writer, but I just love this pair so much and want to see more of them!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here are the mando’a translations:
> 
> Copaani mirshmure'cye, vod? - Are you looking for a smack in the face, mate?  
> Harr’chak! - Damn it!  
> Di’kutla - Idiotic

Fives and Echo did their best to keep from laughing, both of them wishing they had a holocam nearby.

The look on Rex’s face was priceless. His eyes had widened comically and his jaw had dropped so low that Fives was convinced he could fit _The Resolute_ , _The Dominator_ , and _The Liberator_ inside—with room to spare.

“You—me—set up—Commander Tano?” Rex couldn’t form a complete sentence, his thoughts racing around inside his head too fast to fully process.

“Are you okay, Captain?” Echo asked slowly, not wanting to startle the man any more than they already had.

An awkward silence descended on the trio. Fives and Echo exchanged worried looks, neither daring to move. They watched as his expression morphed from shock to confusion to anger—suddenly extremely grateful for the lack of blasters within his reach.

Rex abruptly stood—fists balled up tight—as he fixed the two of them with a crippling glare, making them take a step back. “ _Copaani mirshmure'cye, vod_? This kind of talk is unacceptable. I hope your little ‘joke’ was worth it. _Haar’chak_! I should report you both to General Skywalker and we can see just how funny he finds this.” Rex shouted.

Echo paled, his face twisting into a mixture of confusion and panic at Rex’s threats. “Captain, this isn’t a joke,” he said, trying to reassure the man. “Fives and I are being completely serious about this.” Fives gave a nod, reaffirming Echo’s words.

Rex regarded the pair with a wary expression as he tried to calm himself down. Scanning their faces, he searched them for the slightest trace of mirth. Finding none, he turned away, his shoulders slumping and his head hanging in defeat. “Look, I know the two of you mean well, and yes, I did give you my word. But, I can’t allow you to set me up with... _her,_ ” Rex didn’t trust himself to even say her name. “It’s forbidden by the Jedi code to form attachments. If anyone found out, she could be exiled by the council and I could be sent back to Kamino for ‘reconditioning’. In any case, even if there was no code, she would never want a relationship with me. I’m nothing but a _**clone**_.” Rex spat the last word out as though it were poisonous, making Fives and Echo flinch.

Every clone knew that many of the senators they protected—and even some of the Jedi they fought alongside—saw them as disposable, but the self-loathing and disgust in their Captain’s tone surprised them. As long as they’d known him, Rex had always encouraged his brothers to embrace the fact that they were clones. He treated it like a badge of honor, inspiring the men he led to feel that same sense of pride and responsibility.

Fives gently placed his hand on Rex’s shoulder. “First of all, Captain, you two wouldn’t be the first clone or Jedi to break the rules,” he reminded his brother. “Second of all, we know how careful you are. There is no way you’d let the council find out about it.”

“And finally,” Echo said, coming to stand on the other side of Rex, “when did being a clone become such a bad thing? You’ve never let any of us think that we’re less important just because we’re clones. Besides, I’m sure that General Skywalker and Commander Tano don’t see any of us as just clones, especially not you, Captain.”

There was a slight pause before Rex let out a small sigh, nodding. “You’re right, Echo. Although we’re all much more than just clones, being one is nothing to be ashamed of,” Rex told them straightening up, his jaw set and eyes firm. “That being said, there is absolutely no chance she feels the same way about me, and I won’t put my friendship with her at risk. Sorry boys, but my answer is still no.” 

He turned around and started walking towards the door until Fives spoke up, “fine we won’t set you up with Commander Tano,” his mouth shifting from a concerned frown to a shit-eating grin. “Instead, we’ll make you a deal. Either you follow our plan to ‘woo’ the Commander, or Echo and I will tell her exactly what you’d like to **do** with her,” he finished, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Rex stopped in his tracks, spinning to face them and marching back towards where the pair were standing, a look of frustration plastered on his face. “Which part our previous conversation makes you think I’d agree to this?” He asked Fives.

The other man shrugged nonchalantly, “it’s up to you, Captain, but Commander Tano will learn about how you feel one way or another. I’m sure you’d much rather follow our plan, where you get to tell her yourself, rather than risk letting us do it,” Fives said, smirking at Rex who somehow looked even angrier than before. “After all,” he continued, “you sometimes talk in your sleep and I’d hate for her to learn how often you mention um... running your hands over uh... her ‘rich sienna-colored skin’.”

At that, Rex felt his cheeks flush a deep crimson. Crossing his arms, he left without another word, silently fuming and thinking of various creative ways to kill the two ARC troopers without getting caught.

Echo and Fives watched him leave, chuckling at the Captain’s reaction.

“So, Fives?” Echo asked, turning to the man beside him. “What exactly is this so-called ‘plan’ of ours?”

“Shhh, I’m still coming up with it” Fives said, making Echo roll his eyes. They were quiet for a moment, the former deep in thought while the latter watched him with amusement.

Suddenly, Echo let out a loud snort, effectively breaking their brief silence.

“Her ‘rich sienna colored skin’?” He asked the other. 

“Shut up! It’s the first thing I could think of.” Fives retorted. 

“Mate, kriffing Hardcase could’ve come up with a more believable line than that.” 

“Well it’s the best I could do,” Fives whined. “It’s not like the Captain actually says anything _juicy_ enough to blackmail him with.” 

“Still, you could’ve tried harder.” 

“Oh yeah? Well what would you have said?” 

Before Echo could respond, Kix and Tup walked in, their eyebrows raised.

“Fives, what in the blazes did you do?” Kix asked. “We just passed the Captain who looked absolutely murderous.” 

“What? Why do you just assume it’s me?” Fives squawked indignantly.

“Well for starters,” Tup said, “Jesse isn’t around and Hardcase is sound asleep.”

Almost as if to prove his point, a loud snore came from Hardcase’s bunk.

“And let’s face it, Echo isn’t the one to start trouble. That’s always you, Fives.” Kix added, sending the latter a pointed look.

“Also, there is the fact that the Captain was muttering something along the lines of ‘get my hands on that _di’kutla_ Fives... feed him to the rathtar...’ which only solidified my original guess,” Tup finished with a smirk.

Fives gave a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck. “Come on you guys, I’m just helping a brother out. He’s gonna thank me, you’ll see.”

“I just hope you know what you’re doing,” Kix said solemnly, “we’re already fighting a war, we don’t need you and the Captain to start fighting.”

“Relax Kix,” Echo said, moving between the two and tossing an arm around Fives to give the other’s shoulders a comforting squeeze. “Fives here has a great plan, don’t worry about it. Now, who’s up for a round of Sabacc?”

While the rest of the clones started setting up the game, Fives glanced over at Echo with a grateful smile. “Thanks brother.”

“Anytime Fives,” Echo whispered, smiling back before turning to the group. “Alright, who’s dealing?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Thank you so much for reading and leaving kudos/comments, I appreciate it all so much! 
> 
> I know I said that I might include Ahsoka in this chapter, but it just didn’t feel like it fit. Hopefully, Fives and Echo’s wholesome friendship and banter made up for it! 
> 
> Don’t worry, I promise there will be lots of great Rexsoka moments in the next chapter :)
> 
> Please keep giving me feedback and let me know if you enjoyed this chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Rex woke up the next day feeling exhausted. He’d spent the better part of the night staring at the ceiling, debating whether or not to take up Fives and Echo on their offer.

On the one hand, he wasn’t sure what their “plan” entailed. On the other, the idea of Fives being the one to tell her, filled him with dread. He didn’t need to know just how “creative” the other man’s descriptions could get.

Grumbling, he shook his head, slipping out to the ‘fresher and getting dressed before making his way to the mess hall.

He immediately headed for the kitchen, desperate to pour himself a generous mug of caf and avoid any questions regarding his temper the previous night.

Deep in thought, he reached for the pot without looking, but to his great surprise he felt a small hand beneath his own and heard a soft giggle that quickly snapped him out of his thoughts.

He froze, knowing exactly who that laugh belonged to. Slowly looking to his left, brown eyes met a pair of large, twinkling blue ones. Swallowing hard, Rex forced himself to speak.

“Good morning Commander, I uh... didn’t know you drank caf,” he said, wincing at how strained his voice sounded.

“Morning Rexter! I was actually pouring a cup for you since Fives and Echo told me you’d had a hard time sleeping last night.”

Rex internally cursed, turning to look at the two and glaring at Fives who winked back.

Clearing his throat, he answered, “Just... you know thinking about the war. Nothing any of us don’t usually do. Thanks for your concern though, Commander.”

“Are you sure? You usually only call me Commander when we’re on a mission... did I upset you or do something wrong?” Ahsoka asked with a worried look in her eyes.

“No, not at all. I’m sorry Ahsoka,” he replied, softening his expression. “I’m just a little... distracted this morning.” He offered her a warm smile and gave her a playful nudge, hoping to lighten the mood. 

To his delight, she smiled back, her gaze moving down to rest on where his hand was still covering her own. He quickly removed it, wishing the ground beneath him would open up and swallow him right there and then.

Fortunately for Rex, Ahsoka was too concerned with the task at hand to notice the embarrassment written on his face. She turned back to him, holding out a cup for him to take. He gave her a grateful nod, taking a small sip and hiding his slight grimace at the bitter taste.

However, before he could take another, Ahsoka slipped her arm through his. Rex felt his cheeks heat up as she led him from the kitchen to where Fives and Echo were sitting. Luckily for Rex, Ahsoka removed her arm as they sat down, giving his face time to get back to it’s normal hue.

Fives cleared his throat, “So Ahsoka,” he started. “Are you training with General Skywalker today?”

“Nope. He said there was ‘urgent Senate business’ he needed to attend to with Senator Amidala,” Ahsoka told them, rolling her eyes.

“He seriously still thinks none of us are onto him?” Echo asked with a laugh, shaking his head. “It’s not like he and the senator are subtle about their feelings. I’ll bet—“

“Anyways,” Fives said—interrupting Echo—hoping to steer the group back to their previous topic. “The Captain, Echo, and I are gonna practice some hand to hand combat today. Since General Skywalker is * _ahem* _ ’busy’, you could join us if you want?” Fives offered with a sly smile.

Rex opened his mouth to tell Fives where he could shove that suggestion, but Ahsoka spoke up first.

“I’d love to! But I’m not gonna go easy on any of you,” she warned them with a teasing grin.

“You never do, Commander,” Echo said, a matching grin appearing on his own face.

Ahsoka stuck her tongue out at the two ARC troopers. “I’ll meet you guys there.”  


Standing up, she gave Rex’s arm a light, comforting squeeze and left. He allowed himself to watch her for a couple seconds before tearing his gaze away to look at Fives, crossing his arms.

“I wasn’t aware we were practicing hand to hand combat today, Fives,” Rex said, narrowing his eyes at the man in question.

”It’s all part of our plan, Captain,” Fives told him, looking confident.

Rex raised an eyebrow, “I haven’t even agreed to your plan.” 

“Come on, Captain,” Echo pleaded, “it’s gonna work, you just need to trust us.” 

Rex stared at the two for a moment and let out a sigh. He stood up, walking to the door before stopping and turning around to give them a slight nod of agreement. He heard Fives let out a loud cheer behind him and groaned. He had a feeling he was going to regret this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay Ahsoka is here! Flustered Rex is always fun to write. I’m so excited to write more of their dynamic cause it’s adorable!
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I’m struggling to find enough time to write cause of school and work, but I’ll keep updating as frequently as I can.
> 
> As always, any feedback is greatly appreciated :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve updated. I’ve been pretty busy with school and work, but I promise I haven’t abandoned this story!  
> Anyways, here’s the next chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it! Thank you for reading :)

Rex pinned Fives to the mat, smirking down at him. Sure, he’d been a tad bit rougher than he’d intended, but it felt good to get some payback for all the recent headaches the other man had caused him.

“Alright fine you win, Captain,” Fives groaned out as Rex moved to let him up.

“You uh... doing alright, Fives?” Echo asked, laughing as the other man half-heartedly flipped him off.

“Oh yeah, I’m doing great. I don’t feel like a herd of bantha stampeded over me at all.” Fives responded, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “In fact, I let him win you know?”

Echo walked over to stand above him, brows raised. “Mhm you sure about that, mate?”

“Totally, I could go another round right now.”

“I seriously doubt that,” a new voice said from behind them.

Rex turned to see Ahsoka leaning against the wall with crossed arms, smiling— her big blue eyes glittering with amusement at the scene in front of her. She’d change into her usual form-fitting maroon battle dress and grey leggings, her feet bare of her usual matching combat boots. 

Rex tried to ignore how the dress clung to her curves, highlighting her ass and thighs, especially since he didn’t have his armor on to hide his slowly growing problem. He concentrated hard, keeping his eyes on the wall and doing his best to prevent her from noticing the source of his discomfort. 

He could feel Ahsoka staring at him, a look of worry and confusion on her face when he didn’t respond or even acknowledge her presence. Forcing himself to ignore the loud pounding of his own heart, Rex sent her a reassuring smile, Ahsoka gladly returning it.

Echo cleared his throat to get their attentions, one arm around Fives’ waist as support. “Well as much as I’d love to stay and watch you two, I should deal with this one.” He saluted towards them, giving Rex a wink before helping Fives back to the barracks.

Rex watched the pair leave, his mind slowly processing that he was going to be sparing with Ahsoka alone. He took a deep breath, reminding himself that this was just a training session before looking to the wall she’d been leaning against, only to find she wasn’t there. 

Rex turned around a split second before she suddenly lunged at him from behind, barely giving him a chance to dodge.

“Come on Rexter, I thought you’d be more prepared for unexpected attacks,” she teased.

Shaking his head, Rex tried his best to clear the slight fog of arousal clouding his thinking and focus on the fight. He knew she was faster and more skilled when it came to hand to hand combat, but he had size and strength on his side. She came at him again, but this time he was prepared. He managed to block every punch she threw at him, but couldn’t find an opportunity to get his own blows in.

Ahsoka’s close proximity wasn’t aiding his ability to react either. He was so focused on how gracefully she moved—each movement so quick and precise—that he wasn’t prepared for her to sweep his legs out from under him, his back hitting the ground with a thud, knocking the air out of him. She landed directly on top of him, pining him to the mat.

“Looks like I win!” Ahsoka panted, looking down at him with a grin.

Rex froze, unable to respond. Although he easily could’ve pushed her off, the fact that it was Ahsoka sitting on top of him—sweaty and out of breath—brought to mind images of her, sweaty and out of breath for an entirely different reason, and he found himself unable to move.

Rex desperately tried to think about anything other than the fact that it was Ahsoka sitting directly on top of him—straddling his hips—her small hands resting on his chest, but he was unable to stem the tidal wave of arousal that swept over him at the thought of how soft her lips would feel against his own, how beautiful she’d look beneath him, how sweetly she’d moan as he slid inside her.

Rex bit his lip to avoid letting out a groan as Ahsoka shifted her hips—leaning down to look closely into his eyes—his own hands automatically grabbing onto them, holding her in place and preventing her from moving.

Swallowing hard, Rex forced himself to look at her, terrified of what he’d see. He was shocked to find Ahsoka wasn’t looking at him with disgust, but rather surprise—and if he wasn’t mistaken—hope.

Her eyes flickered down to his lips, a look of intense determination entering them. Rex stayed completely still, not wanting to risk breaking whatever was happening between them. He closed his eyes and held his breath, waiting for what felt like a millennium—though in reality, it was more like a brief moment—before he felt a delicate press of lips against his own.

Rex felt as though he’d been struck with a giant stun-baton, every nerve ending in his body coming alive all at once. It wasn’t a dream. He was actually being kissed by the woman he loved. Ahsoka Tano—his reason for fighting in this godforsaken war—wanted him the way he wanted her. Her lips were soft against his own, one of his hands moving to cup her cheek, moving to deepen the kiss, but their moment was cut short by the interruption of a very familiar voice.

“Ahsoka? Where are you?” Anakin called out.

They instantly broke apart, Ahsoka immediately standing up, making Rex miss the heat and feel of her body against his own. They both straightened out their clothing, neither one daring to look at the other. Rex tried to shift his obvious erection into a less visible position, wincing slightly in pain. Luckily, Ahsoka understood what he was doing and moved to stand in front of him as Anakin pushed open the doors of the gym, Obi-Wan following close behind— partially obscuring their view of him.

“Hey Snips, I told you to meet me in the library a half an hour ago,” Anakin said with eyebrows raised.

“Yes Master,” Ahsoka acknowledged, “I know, I just um... got caught up sparing with Rex and lost track of time.”

“Is that so? Well Captain Rex, how did Ahsoka perform?” Obi-Wan asked, a glimmer of humor in his eyes.

“Oh she uh... performed excellent, Sir,” Rex replied, his face heating up at the way Obi-Wan had phrased the question.

“Of course she did, she is  my padawan after all,” Anakin said, making both Ahsoka and Obi-Wan roll their eyes at him. “Thanks Rex for keeping her busy while I um... worked with Padm— _*ahem*_ Senator Amidala,” he continued, sending Rex an appreciative smile. Obi-Wan let out a snort at his words, prompting Anakin to turn towards him with a semi-confused glare while Ahsoka attempted to disguise her laughter with a small cough.

Obi-Wan was completely unfazed by his former padawan’s reaction, knowing Anakin still believed nobody knew about his feelings towards the Senator from Naboo, even though it was clear to anyone who payed them any attention that they were much more than “just close friends” like they claimed.

“Of course, Sir. It was my pleasure,” Rex responded, drawing the three Jedi’s attention back to him.

Anakin gave him a nod, turning to leave with Obi-Wan before stopping when he realized Ahsoka wasn’t following him. “Come on Ahsoka, we’re going to the library now.”

“Um... I’ll meet you there, Master” Ahsoka responded, wanting to stay behind to talk with Rex.

“Snips just come—“

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan interrupted putting his hand on the other’s shoulder, “Ahsoka can meet us there.” Ahsoka shot him a grateful look, Obi-Wan nodding in return.

Anakin sighed, crossing his arms, “Alright fine, we’ll meet you there in 15 minutes.”

“Thank you, Masters. I won’t be late”

Anakin and Obi-Wan exited the gym, leaving them alone. Rex watched as Ahsoka turned to look at him, her shoulders relaxing.

“Ahsoka,” he began, “I’m sorry about what happened earlier. It was completely inappropriate of me and I took advantage of you—“

“Rex stop,” Ahsoka interrupted him, holding her hand up to silence him, “It’s okay. None of that was your fault, I initiated the kiss. I guess I got caught up in it, you know?”

“I... I’m not sure I understand what you’re trying to say.”

“Well... it was just the heat of the moment right? There was a lot of adrenaline and I gave into it. It could’ve happened with anyone,” Ahsoka hurriedly explained, not noticing the flash of hurt in Rex’s eyes.

“Right yeah... just the heat of the moment,” Rex said, trying to mask his pain with a strained laugh. “Of course, it didn’t mean anything,” he agreed, missing as Ahsoka flinched at his statement.

Without another word, Rex swiftly gathered his things and left, not sure how long he’d be able to keep his emotions in check.  
  
He quickly made his way back to his personal office, unsure he could even form the necessary words to have a conversation should he run into any of his men. He heard Echo calling his name, but refused to stop for the other man. After all, it was partially his fault that Rex was in this situation to begin with.

Once he was safely inside, Rex locked the door and slid down to sit against it, finally giving himself a chance to deal with the shattered pieces of his heart.  


_“_ _I guess I got caught up... just the heat of the moment... could’ve happened with **anyone**.”_

The last phrase felt like a blaster bolt to the heart. He wasn’t special to her. He laughed bitterly to himself as tears—hot and heavy—spilled down his cheeks. How could he have been stupid enough to believe she saw him as anything more than a friend or a captain, much less a  clone? 

Rex’s misery and self-loathing was interrupted by someone knocking at his door. 

“Go away,” he managed to get out between choked sobs. The last thing he wanted was for any of his men to see him like this.  


He almost hit his head as the door opened, but the force caught him a moment before impact. He turned, seeing—to his great surprise—General Skywalker looking down at him with a sad smile, sympathy in his bright blue eyes. 

“Hey Rex. Echo came and found me, saying something about being _‘a giant di’kut’_ and begging me to come and talk with you.” 

Rex immediately sat up, furiously wiping his tears away and looking down at the ground, unwilling to meet the General’s eyes. 

“I’m fine, Sir,” he hastily replied, clearing his throat. “Did he uh... say anything else about what happened?” 

“No,” Anakin told him, shaking his head, “I was hoping you would tell me what happened.” 

“Everything’s okay. Echo shouldn’t have bothered you, General. I’m just a clone after all, I’m sure you have much more important things to be doing.” 

“Rex,” Anakin started, hating how broken the other man looked. “You’re not just a clone. You’re captain of the 501st legion and one of my most capable, trusted men. But most importantly, I consider you my friend. You can talk to me about whatever is troubling you. I promise whatever you say will stay between you and me.”

Rex hesitated, unsure whether or not to be honest about the issue bothering him, but when he looked into the General’s eyes, he saw how concerned the other man was and decided to trust his word.

“Well... you see... I—I’m in love with someone. I can’t tell you who, but she means everything to me. I thought maybe... maybe she felt the same way, but I was wrong. She doesn’t see me as anything more than just another clone.” 

“Rex I understand—more than you know—how it feels to be in love with someone you shouldn’t be. I won’t press you to tell me who, but whoever she is, she doesn’t deserve you.” 

Rex chuckled humorlessly to himself at that. If General Skywalker knew it was Ahsoka they were talking about, he’d have probably punched Rex in the face by now. 

Still, his words and the fact that he’d taken the time to check in on him meant a lot to Rex. 

“Thanks for saying that, General.” 

“I mean it, Rex,” Anakin replied, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder before helping the other man to his feet. “Ahsoka would say the exact same thing if she were here.”   


Rex winced at that, but quickly hid his discomfort with a smile. 

“Right... anyways, how about we go grab something to eat?” 

Anakin frowned, but decided against pressing Rex anymore than he already had. He’d find Echo and get more details later. 

“Sounds like a plan, Captain.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this chapter was a bit of an emotional roller coaster. Poor Rex :( I hated writing about him being so sad, but yay for wholesome Rex and Anakin friendship! Next chapter will probably be from Ahsoka’s POV. Again, feedback is always appreciated :)


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